03:44 PM EDT, 09/18/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes were higher ahead of the close on Thursday after US initial jobless claims for the week ended Sept. 13 fell by 33,000 to 231,000 from 264,000 in the week prior, and lower than consensus expectations of 241,000.

The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.98% to 22,481.6, with the S&P 500 up 0.55% to 6,636.9, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.29% higher at 46,151.7, with each index reaching new record highs earlier in the session. All sectors except consumer discretionary, consumer staples, and energy gained intraday, with technology and industrials leading the gainers.

The CBOE Volatility Index fell 0.45% to 15.65.

Most Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year yield up 2.6 basis points to 4.10% and the two-year rate 1.9 basis points higher at 3.56%.

Gold futures fell 1.14% to $3,675.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures declined by 0.61% to $63.66 a barrel.

In company news, Intel ( INTC ) shares rose 23% in recent trading, the top performer on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, after Nvidia ( NVDA ) said Thursday it will invest $5 billion in Intel ( INTC ) stock at $23.28 per share as part of efforts to jointly develop custom data center and personal computing products for hyperscale, enterprise, and consumer markets. Nvidia ( NVDA ) shares rose 3.7%.